Mock crash shows high school students harsh reality of drunk driving

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Police lights and sirens surrounded Assumption High School on Monday morning, in response to a deadly crash scene strategically mocked in the school's parking lot.

It's a production staged by the Louisville Metro Police Department, Louisville Fire, EMS and students. From beginning to end, an LMPD officer narrated exactly what happens at a deadly DUI scene.

"The people who go in the body bags, they don't come out," Assumption senior Jenna McKune said. "It's a scary thought to think about."

McKune was the victim during the mock crash. A hysterical woman posed as her mother at the scene. Her teenage body was zipped up in a bag and placed inside a hearse.

"Just to see that and imagine one of our own, Jenna being a senior and someone we've spent these four years with, something happening to them because of someone else's actions, something she can't control," senior Molly Meinhart said.

Only six weeks away from prom, LMPD is pushing the importance of sending an early and clear message.

"We want to give this message to them now, while they'll be out and with more young drivers on the street," Officer Kevin Hamlin said. "We want them to start practicing safe driving now, going into the summer."

Making good decisions is only part of it. The students learned victims have no control over the situation.

"It just makes me want to be more careful and control my own actions," Meinhart said.